The extra staff are the result of the agreement between the City Council and the Ministry for Work, Social Affairs and Families, which will see the Government of Catalonia include an economic addenda of 5.4 million euros to the contract programme for social services in Barcelona. The contract programme means the Catalan government will cover 66% of the cost of the professionals for basic social services teams.

The hundred new professionals to join the city’s social service in 2021 will include different profiles such as administrative staff, social workers, psychologists and social educators, to be distributed according to the demands and needs of each service.

An essential service to tackle the Covid-19 crisis

The outbreak of Covid-19 has led to an economic, social and mental health crisis which has affected many families, more so among those who were already vulnerable. Primary support from social services has increased, with 22% more people attended to and 56% more support provided. In addition, nearly a third of people attended to had never approached social services or had not needed support for over a year.

This extra burden has actually been handled with a drop in average waiting times for initial support, which has been reduced from 18.18 days before the pandemic to the current 10.71 days.